The Stonehearted Knight - Chapter 378: The pre-competition Challengers (1)

WARNING: ITS A 18+ BOOKHeena stretched on the warm sand, sipping coconut water. Finally, peace. No scheming heroines, no brooding male leads—just her and the ocean.“HEENA! MOTHER! I FOUND YOU!”Her eye twitched. Not now.Floating above the beach was a golden lion with sparkling wings.“System 547,” she said, gritting her teeth. “I’m on vacation.”“But the worlds are collapsing! Male leads are going crazy! Villainesses are dying! White lotus heroines are ruining everything!”“Not my problem.”“You’re the Black Lotus! Only you can fix this!”“Exactly why I deserve a vacation.”“No rules! Slap them, seduce them, team up with the villainess—anything!”Heena sipped her coconut. “If I say yes, triple points, rare items from every world, and six months vacation after.”“Done! Anything!” the lion shouted, tail wagging.Heena stood, brushing sand off. “Fine. Show me these broken male leads.” Her smirk was dangerous.The portal threw Heena onto cold marble floors. Her head spun as чуж memories flooded in.Empress Celeste Ravencourt.Five husbands.A dying empire.“Great,” Heena muttered. “I’m the villain.”A tiny golden lion appeared beside her. “Welcome to World 12! You’re married to five powerful men who all hate you. They’re meeting tonight to poison you and crown the heroine instead.”“Let me guess,” Heena sighed. “White lotus?”“Lady Seraphina. Sweet, kind, system-backed. They’re all in love with her.”Heena rubbed her temples. The body was weak, starved, exhausted. No wonder Celeste died so easily.“Fine,” she said, pulling off the heavy jewelry. “That empress is dead. I’m not.”She chose a simple dark dress, tied her hair up, and met her reflection. The sadness vanished. Confidence took its place.At dinner, five men waited—cold, powerful, deadly handsome. Warriors, priests, generals, spies. Every one of them wanted her gone.Wine was poured into her glass.Poisoned. Obvious.They watched her closely.Heena lifted the glass, smiling lightly.“To new beginnings.”She drank it all.The silence cracked.Nothing happened.Their faces changed—shock, fear, disbelief.Heena leaned back, calm and smiling.“Now,” she said softly, “which one of you thought killing me would be that easy?”

Having spent her childhood confined in chains, Alice was a child who knew neither love nor joy. Scorned by her family while being tortured in the name of the greater good for years, she grew numb to all feeling and thought. That is, until one day, a man in black offered her a chance to escape.There were once rumours widespread of an endless hell, a land of glorious death and dreadful opportunity. Fools went in search of it, and the clever never ventured into it. Only when its baleful mysteries spilled unto the earth did all hear its name — the Abyss.A single drop of its blood could give someone the power to control shadows, move faster than sound, or strength greater than the strongest man. Yet, it all came at a cost; the blood would always make sure those who consumed it became part of the Abyss, with one exception — Alice. Cast away by her own blood, it was her destiny to rot in a gilded cage.But, that fateful day changed everything. Gifted a second chance at life, a chance to turn her life around and claim vengeance against her family, a chance to dive deep into the Abyss and gain the power to govern her own fate, Alice took his hand, unaware of the destiny unfolding before her.

The narrative follows a gamer who, after selecting the “Awakened Cinder” class in the game Fractured Dawn, finds himself transported into the game's world. However, this version of the game is devoid of its usual interfaces—no UI, no tutorials, and no second chances. Each death strips away a part of his memories and identity, immersing him deeper into a perilous reality.The protagonist, now known as Riven, must navigate the treacherous Witherlands, confronting formidable foes like the Gravemare and Dreamborn Horrors, while uncovering the mysteries of Emberlight, Grace, and Cindershrines. His journey is one of survival, self-discovery, and challenging the very fabric of this fractured world.

He was just an ordinary orphan.At least he thought he was,That was until some group claiming to be the Hero Faction tried to recruit him for being the inheritor of a lost bloodline.